Idaho Parks and Recreation has been working all fall to instill their new Idaho Time Registration system and it goes online on Jan. 6.

There will be changes as this reservation system will have different prices — similar to reserving hotels or airplane tickets, it all comes down to demand. Plus people will have to be ready next week to reserve a campsite this summer in a state park.

“We have really seen the demand for camping in Idaho grow and we want to make it first of all easier to get their campsites,” said Robbie Johnson of Idaho Parks & Rec. “A high-demand campsite is going to cost you a little bit more, but in the time where there’s not so much demand it is going to cost you less.”

An example of this would be reserving a campsite at Ponderosa State Park near McCall around the 4th of July. That’s about as busy as it gets and the cost of a site with electricity and hookups will cost Idaho residents $42.

“So when we are talking about variations in pricing we are not talking about huge jumps,” said Johnson. “We are not here to discourage and make it harder to use our state parks, but the camping fees are what funds the state parks.”

The reservation system will allow people to reserve campsites, cabins and yurts nine months out. It will have a much easier interface, be easier to use on your smart phone and it will feature pictures that rangers take at the state parks.

“It’s going to be so much easier to find a park, look at a map, click on it and put your dates in,” said Johnson.

However, they have to unveil somehow so they chose a staggered start when the new system comes online next week. On Monday, people will be able to reserve through May 31, on Tuesday through June 30, on Wednesday through July, Thursday through August and Friday through September.

People will get put into a waiting room in the order they log on. You can reserve up to three campsites, but you don’t secure the reservation until you pay for it. Robbie Johnson advises people to consider multiple options, be quick and be prepared.

“The old reservation system is on our website and that is where you can go in and check out the map because you actually won’t be able to go into the new system until it actually launches the first week,” said Johnson.

So if you have summer plans at a favorite camping spot in your favorite state park be prepared for next week if you want to lock down some sites. If you don’t get what you want you can always check for cancellations.

Jackie Hitz Daniel, 80, peacefully passed away on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Moscow, Idaho. She was born Nov. 23, 1944, in Shelley, Idaho to Jack Hitz and Coy Peck Hitz and was the oldest of four children.

She graduated from Idaho Falls High School in 1963 and married Don Moore that year. Their marriage produced four children. She was married to Garry Daniel from 1983 until his passing in 2010.

Jackie worked for decades in bookkeeping and administrative support roles, with many years spent in medical offices in Idaho Falls and Rexburg. She was an avid bowler in her earlier years. She also enjoyed crocheting, with dozens of babies being recipients of the softest blankets ever.

Jackie is survived by her brother Phil (Kathy) Hitz of South Jordan, Utah, son Dennis (Tina) Moore of Boise, daughter Trish (Steve) Poulos of Idaho Falls, daughter, Kristy (Jason) Mayer of Genesee, daughter-in-law Sydney Moore of Los Osos, California, 16 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brothers Noel Hitz and Paul Hitz, and son, Darin Moore.

Graveside services will be held in Idaho Falls in 2025, on a date to be determined. The family would like to extend special thanks to the teams at Gritman Medical Center and Aspen Park of Cascadia in Moscow, who provided such loving care in Jackie’s final weeks.

An Idaho man has been arrested after planting an IED on a parked railroad car, according to officials. The device was safely detonated by a bomb squad.

Officers were dispatched on Wednesday to the 600 block of North 8th Street in Payette, Idaho, following reports of a suspicious person seen near a parked railroad car attempting to light something on fire, according to a statement by the Payette Police Department.

Police located a suspected undetonated Improvised Explosive Device (IED) next to the train car. Officers followed fresh footprints in the snow to a camp trailer parked near a residence in the 600 block of North 8th Street.

The suspect attempted to flee but surrendered to authorities after a brief foot pursuit, police said. He has been identified as 40-year-old Payette resident Brent Sharrai.

Sharrai was arrested on outstanding warrants, with additional charges including possession of a destructive device, possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia, and resisting and obstructing officers. Federal charges for possession and manufacturing of a destructive device are pending.

Payette Police reported that a bomb squad from nearby Nampa was called to assist in safely handling the device. Union Pacific Railroad was notified, and all trains scheduled to pass through the area were placed on standby for approximately five hours until the scene was declared safe.

The Nampa Bomb Squad used a specialized robot to remove the IED from the train car before safely detonating it. A search warrant executed at Sharrai’s camp trailer uncovered items similar to the device found on the train car.

The incident is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with no motive disclosed at this time.